Can a neutral wire trip a breaker?

Usually a loose neutral connection will not trip a breaker right away. A loose neutral makes itself known and should be repaired before the problem gets big enough to trip the breaker.

The first indication in a lighting circuit will be the lights flickering. In a receptacle circuit devices plugged into it will have a tendency to go off and on. The first thing to do is isolate the circuit that is causing the trouble.

Once you find the circuit turn it off at the breaker. The most likely place is in a receptacle box, as this is usually where lighting circuits are fed from.

Go from box to box checking the neutral joints making sure that the wire nuts are tight. Once the bad joint is found tighten the wires with a pair of pliers and reinstall a new wire nut.

In some older homes receptacles had what was called a quick wire terminal. The wire was stripped and just pushed into the receptacle, depending on a small spring to hold the wire against a flat surface to make the contact. The continuation of the neutral came out of the second quick wire hole and went to the next box. The whole return current started heating up the springs in these types of receptacles and opened the neutral downstream of the original problem.

When old receptacles are changed out for new ones use the screws on the side of the receptacle as it makes a more secure connection.

Always use a pigtail connection when making a splice in a junction box that connects to a device.